Adjustable width single-piece garment hanger



Dec. w, 1952 D. B. IRVING 2,621,834

ADJUSTABLE WIDTH SINGLE-PIECE GARMENT HANGER Filed Feb. 15, 1952 INVENTOR- .DavzdB. liq/any ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 16, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ADJUSTABLE WIDTH SINGLE-PIECE GARMENT HANGER 1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to garment hangers, and more particularly to an improved adjustable width garment hanger adapted through manual adjustment to accommodate various sizes and types of clothes.

It is known that in the past, numerous types of adjustable garment hangers have been proposed in order that a single hanger might be usable in connection with various sizes and types of garments. However, the primary objection to previously known patented and described adjustable garment hangers stems from the complexity and consequent relatively high cost of manufacture of such hangers to render the same adjustable in character.

It follows, therefore, that the primary object of the present invention is to provide an adjustable width garment hanger which may be formed from relatively inexpensive wire material and manufactured and sold at a cost closely approximating the cost of the ordinary single piece wire garment hanger in common use at the present time.

It is another object of the invention to pro vide an adjustable width garment hanger which is formed from a single length of resiliently flexible wire material bent to provide an open hook portion for supporting the hanger and one or more garments thereon, an intermediate curvilinear portion to conform to the shoulder regions of a given garment, and a cross bar portion embodying the free end portions of the single piece of wire bent to provide interconnecting loops by which the intermediate and cross bar portions of the garment hanger may be manually moved between relatively laterally expanded and contracted positions and held against movement in a given position. 4

For a further and more detailed understanding of the present invention and the various additional objects and advantages realized therefrom, reference is made to the following description and the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an adjustable width garment hanger formed in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view on a somewhat smaller scale showing the hanger in a relatively laterally expanded position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the hanger in a relatively contracted poisiton;

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a similar view taken along the line 55 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, the numeral 6 designates my improved adjustable width garment hanger in its entirety, and it will be seen that the same comprises a single continuous length of resiliently flexible wire of a type common to the ordinary nonadjustable garment hanger in present day use. The wire is bent, or otherwise formed, to provide a double stranded open hook portion I adapted to fit over a supporting bar or other member for supporting the hanger in its entirety and a garment or garments carried thereby. The hook portion I terminates in a gooseneck 8 where the separate strands or ends of the wire are bent laterally outwardly and apart from each other, as at 9, to provide a V-shaped frame portion below the hook portion 1. Each of the separate strands, at the end of the V-shaped frame portion, is bent backwardly upon itself to provide a U-shaped loop HI, from whence the free end portions of the wire are bent in an arcuate curve and slidably passed through the opposite looped portions H), as at H, the end portions of the wire at this point providing arcuately curved, intermediate, garment-supporting portions H.

The garment-supporting portions l2 terminate at their ends in a relatively sharply bent extremity I3, and the free end portions of the wire are directed inwardly toward each other to provide a cross bar portion, generally indicated by the numeral H, with the extreme outer end portions of the individual strands of wire being disposed in overlapping relation toward the centerline of the garment hanger. One of the free end portions of the wire, at its extreme outer end, is bent to provide a substantially closed loop l5 which, as shown in Figs. 1-3, is disposed in a vertically inclined plane and in substantially acutely angular relationship to the opposite end portion of the wire which passes through the loop I5. As shown particularly in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the angularity of the loop [5 is such as to cause this portion of the hanger to frictionally grip and pinch the opposite end portion of the wire which passes therethrough when said opposite end portion occupies a substantially parallel position relative to the end portion carrying the loop l5. The purpose and. function of this frictional pinching by the loop I5 will be hereinafter more fully explained.

The end portion of the wire which passes through the loop l5 terminates at its outer end in an inwardly bent and bifurcated clamp member 16 which is adapted to frictionally engage and hold the intermediate portion of the other free end portion of the wire which carries the loop IS in a manner to prevent relative lateral expansion or contraction of the cross bar portion and intermediate frame portion l2 of the hanger upon engagement, but which, upon disengagement, as shown by broken lines in Fig. 1, permits the end portion containing the clamp IE to slide freely through the loop I5 to either resiliently expand or contract the frame portion I2 and cross bars laterally of the hanger,

In operation, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the hanger may be resiliently expanded or contracted in its lateral dimensions by first disengaging the clamp member 16 from the opposite end portion of the hanger and thereafter grasping the lateral extremities I3 of the hanger to pull relatively outwardly thereon, causing the garment-supporting frame members I2 to slide within the loops l and the separate strands of wire at the gooseneck 3 to cross or be separated a from each other to provide resiliency for the expansion or contraction of the frame members l2 and cross bar portion l4. When manual adjustment has placed the parts of the hanger in'their desired positions, the clamp member I6 is thereafter reengaged with the opposite end portion of the wire, as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, andin so doing, the loop I5, due to its acute angular relation to the opposite end of the wire, pinches the same which, in addition to the clamping friction imparted by the clamp member I6, serves to hold the end portions of the wire tightly together to prevent accidental movement of the cross bar members back to their original rest positions, duev to the inherent resiliency of the wire which to stabilize the relative positions of the various members and to resiliently resist expan sion or contraction from the rest position.

Depending-upon the dimensions of the hanger, expansion or contraction movement may be accomplished so as to vary the width dimensions of the hanger by some four to five inches, whereby to adjust the hanger to various sizes and types of garments, as between relatively small childrens coats, dresses, and the like, and grown-ups overcoats, etc.

In view of the foregoing, it will be seen that the present invention provides a mechanically eificient, yet structurally simple, garment hanger which advantageously may be formed from a single strand of wire stock comparable in length to that now employed in the ordinary metallic wire garment hanger in present day use. Garment hangers formed in accordance with the present invention are characterized by their ability to accommodate various sizes and types of garments while providing the usual arcuately bent intermediate garment-supporting portion and a cross bar portion adapted to receive trousers, skirts, and the like.

While a single preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail, it will be understood that various modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claim.

Iclaim:

A garment hanger consisting of a single length of wire formed intermediately with a double stranded open hook for supporting said hanger and a garment carried thereby, the double stranded hook portion of said wire terminating at one end in separate single strands projecting laterally outwardly and downwardly on opposite sides of said hook and forming an inverted V- shaped neck portion, the separate single strands defining said neck portion being bent backwa-rdly upon themselves to provide loops at the outer ends of said neck portion and each of said single strands projecting backwardly from said loops across said neck portion and slidably passing through the loop formed in the opposite single strand, said single strands passing laterally outwardly from said loops and terminating in opposite free end portions bent inwardly below said neck portion to provide a cross bar portion for said hanger, the free end portions of said wire overlapping one another in the central region of said cross bar portion, one of the free end portions of said wire terminating in a closed loop through which the opposite free end portion of said wire passes, and the said opposite free end portion being formed with a resilient clip portion for frictional engagement with the first-named free end portion of said wire, said clip portion when disengaged from said first-named free end portion permitting said hanger to be resiliently flexed between relatively laterally expanded and contracted positions, and when engaged with said first-named free end portion serving to hold said hanger in either its expanded or contracted position.

DAVID B. IRVING.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date McClain Apr. 17, 1951 Number 

